1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to potholders, and more particularly to a potholder having pockets to insert the fingers and the thumb of a hand.
2. Description of the Related Art
No kitchen is without something to protect one's hand when cooking, whether it is an oven mitt, a potholder pad or a towel. A common problem with current potholders is that they are too thin and must be folded so heat does not radiate through to the hand. Hand protectors such as oven mitts are too loose and move around on the hand, while traditional potholder pads do not cover the back of one's hand and do not provide a place to gripping the pad. Because protecting one's hands from heat is important, a number of hand protectors have been developed to meet this need.
U.S. Pat. No. 580,148, issued to Staples on Apr. 6, 1897, describes a permanently curved potholder having an oblong shape. The potholder comprises a number of layers of non-heat-conducting material, such as paper. The curvature of the potholder is maintained by a number of longitudinal rows of stitches. The layers of non-heat-conducting material are sandwiched between outer layers of cotton or felt. U.S. Pat. No. 2,047,635, issued to Johst on Jul. 14, 1936, describes a “U” shaped hand protector pad. The protector is preferably made of a single sheet of vulcanized rubber. The rubber is resilient, permitting the protector to easily bend over and enfold an object yet still maintain its “U” shape.
Some hand protectors have been developed with a pocket or a band to keep the fingers, but not the thumb, of a hand on the hand protector. U.S. Pat. No. 2,306,062, issued to Katz on Dec. 22, 1942, describes a hot pad. The hot pad is made from oilcloth in either a round or a square shape, and possesses a very thin amount of internal filler. The hot pad utilizes either an open-ended sleeve or a band disposed on the back of the pad that permits the fingertips of a user's hand to hang over the pad's edge, and the thumb to grasp the back portion of the hot pad.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,064, issued to Katz on Oct. 28, 1941, describes a hot pad having a hand-receiving pocket. The pocket covers a considerable portion of the hot pad, but still provides space for the thumb to sit outside the pocket and grip the pad. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 476,778, issued to Beyda on Jul. 1, 2003, shows an ornamental design for a potholder. The potholder is made of terry cloth and has a pocket for inserting a hand.
Other hand protectors have been developed as potholders either without a pocket or with a pocket to insert only the handle of cookware. U.S. Pat. No. 2,641,793, issued to Wilm on Jun. 16, 1953, describes a magnetic potholder. The potholder has two panels and filler material quilted between the two panels. The panels are made of plastic material or oilcloth and the filler is cotton batting or any other type of insulating material. The potholder attaches to a magnetic surface by a magnet that is disposed at one corner of the potholder.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 336,549, issued to Stabile on Jun. 15, 1993, shows an ornamental design for a hot pad. The hot pad is relatively thin and lacks pockets. U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,372, issued to Zhou et al. on Sep. 5, 2000, describes a heat-resistant potholder comprising more than one panel. The panels of the potholder form a pocket or pouch to insert the handle of kitchenware. Cotton batting is disposed between the panels of the potholder to provide extra protection from hot handles inserted in the pocket.
Still other hand protectors have been developed in the form of a glove or mitt. U.S. Pat. No. 2003/0140395, published on Jul. 31, 2003, describes an oven glove having heat retardant elements on the thumb, the fingers and the palm of the hand. A gripping element is attached to and extends from the thumb, allowing the user to grasp and manipulate an item by placing the thumb over the edge of a pan.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,946, issued to Goldsmith on Sep. 29, 1959, describes hand protectors having an inner layer sandwiched between two outer layers. The outer layer is made of cloth that is coated with silicone and plastic material containing aluminum powder, making the hand protector waterproof and heat reflective, respectively. The inner layer is made of natural or synthetic foam polymer, as well as natural or synthetic rubber.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,488, issued to Duncan et al. on Oct. 9, 2001, describes a kitchen grip taking on several forms, such as a hand mitt or a lid holder. In most embodiments, the grip comprises two sheets, one surface being made of nylon/polyester fabric and being water and stain resistant, the second surface being a temperature-controlling, non-slip chloride rubber that is affixed to the nylon/polyester fabric.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a potholder solving the aforementioned problems is desired.